1. Nacht van de Beeldende Kunst at deSTUDIO

For the true-to-tradition celebration of Antwerp Art Weekend at deSTUDIO, curator Nadia Bijl invited 15 local and upcoming artists to design a poster for the events. With contributions by Elias Cafmeyer, Filip Collin, Kasper De Vos, Elleke Frijters, Oscar Hugal, Vedran Kopljar, William Ludwig Lutgens, Rufus Michielsen, Bence Rohánszky, Mima Schwahn, Valgerður Sigurðardóttir, Vincent Vandaele, Liese Vanhove, Sine Van Menxel and Ken Verhoeven, the results are presented on the venue’s ground floor, where the evening party is taking place as well. Hosted by Milan W. and Roman Hiele‘s TRAP space, German producer Rashad Becker and Dutch Das Ding are taking to the stage, commemorating the third edition of the art-heavy weekend.

2. Lieven Segers at Base-Alpha Gallery

Roaming around Antwerp during the late hours in 2014, you might have come across one of Lieven Segers‘ colourful ‘Sharing is Caring’ cards, asking people to send their drunken stories to the artist. More than two years and over 300 text messages later, Segers adapted the intoxicated thoughts into sculptural figures, ridden with irony and scattered around Base-Alpha‘s gallery space, resulting in an at times unsettling ensemble resembling the nightly landscape Segers made his own.

4. Margiela: the Hermès years at MoMu

Groundbreaking deconstruction and timeless luxury come together in MoMu’s upcoming exhibition, which celebrates one of fashion’s most extraordinary innovators, Martin Margiela. For this retrospective, the Antwerp institution displays Margiela’s Hermès collections from 1997 to 2003, while offering an in-depth overview linking these to his own label, Maison Martin Margiela. While appointing Martin Margiela as Hermès’ creative director back in 1997, its CEO Jean-Louis Dumas received his fair share of frowns and doubtful looks. And while Margiela’s nonconformist unorthodoxy at first seemed to pair oddly with the traditionalism of the iconic French fashion house, he managed to translate his conceptual preferences for deconstruction, recycling and the avant-garde into sleek and subtle designs, giving Hermès a breath of fresh air.

5. See you later at Hole of the Fox

Grassroots art space Hole of the Fox presents ‘See you later’, a group exhibition including the works of artists Fukushi Chihiro (JP), Ville Kallio (FI), Yutaka Kawai (JP), Rvsasvr (US) and Colburn Paluck (GE) in an attempt to bring together a selection of artists followed on Instagram by @ Bayny (Benny), all of them invited through the social media platform for an eclectic ensemble.

6. Tine Guns at Ingrid Deuss

Photographer Tine Guns is presenting her new series, After the flood, at Ingrid Deuss gallery in Antwerp. For the series, the Ghent-based artist headed to an artificial lake in Thailand, an area where an entire part of the surrounding jungle flooded, causing animals to be rescued by helicopters and moved to new, man-made islands. Be prepared for an exhibition bordering the dreamlike and the painfully realistic. Runs until 24th June.

7. Presentation of the new Kunsthal Extra City

A household name amongst the Antwerp art crowd, Extra City is known for its creation of engagement and new ties between contemporary artists, researchers and citizens. Having underwent extensive renovations, Extra City is now presenting its refurbished venue as well as its brand new team, consisting of Antonia Alampi, iLiana Fokianaki and Michiel Vandevelde, who will be shaping Extra City’s future together with director Adinda Van Geystelen.

8. A Temporary Futures Institute at M HKA

Ambitiously reopening following renovations, Antwerp’s M HKA turns its entire premises into a laboratory operating on the junctions of art and future studies. Put together by the museum’s senior curator Anders Kreuger in collaboration with futurist Maya Van Leemput, both fields of expertise join forces in a bid to challenge the museum presentation format. Over the course of the next months, artists and futurists (from the sub-fields of Alternative Futures, Design Futures, Postnormal Futures and Technology Futures) each focus on the themes of continuation, collapse, discipline and transformation, altogether creating new narratives for the future. Amongst the collaborating artists are local Kasper Bosmans, Malaysia/Australia-based Simryn Gill, Swedish conceptual photographer Miriam Bäckström and Congolese Jean Katambayi.

10. D.D. Trans at Valerie Traan

The work of D.D. Trans, the moniker of Frank Tuytschaever, always shows more than meets the eye. Everyday objects are handled in a poetic manner to question their meaning – giving them an estranging ambiguity. A true modern-time interpretation on readymades. He’s be presenting his book Infidels at Antwerp design gallery Valerie Traan.

Subscribe to our newsletterFor the best in Belgian neighbourhood life, music and art

The Word Magazine is Belgium’s leading English-speaking free media platform, documenting and championing the best in neighbourhood living, music and art. Published every two months, the magazine is distributed in over 500 distribution points across the country.